Fill My Eyes

[Ruins]

What can i say about this song, it's definitely one of Cat's best, really amazing song, i don't no why; but sometimes i get my eyes full of tears when i hear it; it touches me a lot, it also has a powerful-simple lyrics

"And in the morning when you fill my eyes
I knew that day I couldn't do,
Ahh, no wrong, I couldn't do"

It's definitely a masterpiece

Regards

[laurieann]

I likey

Laurie

[thewind]

I always enjoy this song preceeded with Time

[krispypink]

Yes, this is a lovely song, great lyrics. I never really liked how Time paved the way for this song.

[salsabil]

My favourite Cat song, I just love it so much!

[thewind]

My fav version is off the four Cd set... Very crisp and beautiful...

[valleycreeper]

I love it as Time/Fill My Eyes. But then I've always loved odd, unsettled, even surreal moods. A great moment is coming out of that, right into the safety and comfort of Fill My Eyes. The effect of the song is increased with Time preceding it.

[susan]

This song is so beautifully poetic that it's almost painful. I love the words : "There's an empty space inside me now. A wasteland deep beneath the snow, so cold, nothing will grow."
What a very powerful, touching metaphor for grief or loss. Does anyone know the story behind this song?

[thewind]

I always thought it was a song related to Lady D' Arbanville

[thewind]

heres a good rendision: www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-c-W3LuMQo&NR

[SP4313]

This is a truly great song. I remember playing it on guitar and singing it to my girlfriend in the 8th grade back in 1974. I still love it.

Gino

[valleycreeper]

Nice to do on guitar, for someone like me who never managed to progress past a certain level... still enough left of the song with just singing and strumming.

That says nothing about how great it is. A little naivete dropped in at just the right time can be heartbreaking; I don't know why.... I'm thinking of the bit about the coaster and a wheel not moving...

[peacock]

I love this song. I've been looking for some interpretation, but haven't found one.

Here's the way I see it. He's in a relationship that awes him a bit - makes him think he needs, above all, to be honorable (can do no wrong). Takes him by surprise as he "coasts" upon the road, but as much as he believes in doing the right thing, he isn't passionate about it and doesn't really love her so much as he respects her and wants to do the right thing by her. But inside, he feels frozen, like a wasteland where nothing will grow.

I dunno . . . it's like this: I didn't have any place in mind to go, but now that you've stopped me here, I know it isn't right and I need to go someplace else but I have no idea where and I'm afraid to break your heart by leaving.

What do you think? I've always loved poetry explication.


Which leads me to another comment about Cat's lyrics. Sometimes you think they mean one thing and they mean another. Like, "Could do no wrong," and in "Father & Son" "that's your fault." In the first case, "could do no wrong" we think that no matter what he did it'd be OK, but what he really meant was that he'd better watch out and not do anything wrong. In the second case, "that's your fault," meaning not that it's the son's fault for being young, but that it's the son's *weakness* that he's young - not that he's culpable but that it's just the problem he has to face.

Gah, poets.

[JaneB]

This has always been one of my favorite songs of his. When he sang it at Royal Albert Hall last year, it was the happiest moment of the entire concert for me and I was lucky enough to capture it on video. But I don't try to interpret songs, I just enjoy them.

[peritura]

I love this song. It instantly transports me to a really calm place-I don't know why really, because some of the lyrics are very sad. It just makes me feel serene. Listening to it at RAH was one of the highlights of the concert for me too.

[doorcat13]

I think if research the term "fill my eyes" you will see that it is a religious term regarding God, Allah, "the spirit". Whatever term you want to use for spiritual awareness. It's used in several religions.

[barleyrice]

Fill My Eyes is a great tune. Easily my favorite off the Mona Bone album. It gently finishes the album off and transitions us into Tea for the Tillerman.

I think Red Legged Chicken would agree. ;D

[JaneB]

Feb 2, 2011 20:27:01 GMT -5 barleyrice said:

Fill My Eyes is a great tune. Easily my favorite off the Mona Bone album. It gently finishes the album off and transitions us into Tea for the Tillerman.

I think Red Legged Chicken would agree. ;D

Good to see you here, barleyrice! It is definitely my favorite song from this album and you know it made my night when he sang it at RAH!

Yes, I'm SURE redleggedchicken would agree!

[tiffany]

Fill My Eyes is a very interesting tune, which was ever written by Cat Stevens. A song with memorable lyrics with an upbeat melody. The words of that song ring true, and send the message of love and peace. Take for example, the second verse which is mentioned with the lines that read:
And, so my mind begins to memorise,'cause time will never seem the same, ahh
No more, never again.
His voice as Cat Stevens in the 70s was truly a generation of our world, and captured our hearts, he sounded like an angel, and made us all welcome.

[aurarisma]

doorcat xo I think that "Fill My Eyes" is quite a different interpretation than what you get from it but then that is the beauty of lyrics . what do they mean to you .... most importantly!! As for Cat back in the day to me it is quite evident what it means and when He sings it to this day you can still see this song has a special meaning to him alone ... and its one of his favorites... Its one of the best lyrics ever written about a day a time .. a moment ... possibly a Quantam Moment ...
and as for "Spirit" I believe in Islam "The Spirit" is Jesus and not God/Allah .. xxoo peace

[suncatcher]

Feb 3, 2011 14:07:35 GMT -5 aurarisma said:

doorcat xo I think that "Fill My Eyes" is quite a different interpretation than what you get from it but then that is the beauty of lyrics . what do they mean to you .... most importantly!! As for Cat back in the day to me it is quite evident what it means and when He sings it to this day you can still see this song has a special meaning to him alone ... and its one of his favorites... Its one of the best lyrics ever written about a day a time .. a moment ... possibly a Quantam Moment ...
and as for "Spirit" I believe in Islam "The Spirit" is Jesus and not God/Allah .. xxoo peace

I agree with you, Christina. Everyone can take the lyrics as what they mean to themselves personally, and that is the beauty of the lyrics. I also wanted to kindly mention that to my knowledge, in Islam "the Spirit" refers to the angel Gabriel, though it may mean God or Jesus (peace be upon him) or something else to someone else...Again, that's the beauty of it.

Peace,
~Sun~

[aurarisma]

I believe you are Muslim right Suncatcher??? U probably know best .. Its just a few muslim friends were explaining to me that they refer to Jesus as "TheSpirit" so just going by what they said .. it relation to Prophets..

[aurarisma]

Yes , The Spirit of Islam so to speak ... as they are waiting for Jesus'es return ...
Alleluia ~~~ A friend was telling me that each Prophet has a name like that ... quite interesting ...

[suncatcher]

Feb 3, 2011 14:20:01 GMT -5 aurarisma said:

I believe you are Muslim right Suncatcher??? U probably know best .. Its just a few muslim friends were explaining to me that they refer to Jesus as "TheSpirit" so just going by what they said .. it relation to Prophets..

Hi, Christina,
I'm Muslim, but I'm not any kind of expert, so maybe I'm misunderstanding what your friends are referring to. I just know that to my knowledge, we refer to Jesus, peace be upon him, as a Prophet, not a spirit. Oh, yes, and we are awaiting his return. I don't think it really matters, though. To me, all of this is interesting to think about only because it adds to the idea that "Fill My Eyes" is a beautiful song that we all can enjoy in our own unique and special way. And it's wonderful to be able to share our thoughts with each other.

[aurarisma]

Yes it really doesnt matter xxxoo I did like the way my friend expressed to me that each prophet had a another name so to speak .. I will have to ask him more about it .. but that Jesus was "TheSpirit of Islam" ... but as you said ... It doesnt really matter xoxoxo God is Love and there is one God xoxoxo
and Im listening to "Sitting" right now !! xoxo

[suncatcher]

Feb 3, 2011 17:44:38 GMT -5 aurarisma said:

Yes it really doesnt matter xxxoo I did like the way my friend expressed to me that each prophet had a another name so to speak .. I will have to ask him more about it .. but that Jesus was "TheSpirit of Islam" ... but as you said ... It doesnt really matter xoxoxo God is Love and there is one God xoxoxo
and Im listening to "Sitting" right now !! xoxo

Dear Christina,

You made me curious, so I asked someone who knows more about Islam than I do, and here is their explanation:

First off, you’re right that in Islam there are names given to some of the prophets. For example, Ibrahim (peace be upon him) is called the “friend of God.” (I did already know this part.) However, Jesus (peace be upon him) is not called "The Spirit" nor "The Spirit of Islam.” (But you're not too far off, Christina! And the next part is where I learned something new.)

You see, Jesus (pbuh) is called a “spirit or soul from God.” This is because Jesus was created without a father. God simply said, “Be,” and the baby Jesus was created within Mary (may God be pleased with her), and the Spirit of God (Angel Gabriel) breathed the soul of Jesus into him.

In a similar way, God created Adam without any parents at all; God created Adam from clay, said, “Be,” and breathed Adam’s soul into him. So, some Muslims call Adam a “pure spirit or soul from God.”

Actually, we’re all spirits or souls from God, but Jesus and Adam (peace be upon them) are singled out because they didn’t come from two parents as we all did.

So, maybe this is what your Muslim friends meant. God knows best.

It still doesn’t matter as far as enjoying "Fill My Eyes," but since it came up in this thread, I think it was worth looking into.

Thank you, Christina, for helping me to learn something new!

Peace,
~Sun~

P.S. “Spirit or soul” comes from the translation of the Arabic word, “ruh."